Black and White
by meamsusan
Summary: My name is Claude." he seemed to think for a second. " Claude Faustus."
1. Chapter 1

**I don't think we should be as rash to hate on them just yet.....**

**XXX**

" It was his birthday today, did you know that?"

There was a pause. A second filled with pain.

" Yes, I'm well aware. I'm sorry for your loss."

The man in front of him smiled. He smiled with cruel, sharp teeth that had once been mocking, condescending... that had bit into countless souls, torn them apart limb by limb without hesitation. But now, it was a broken smile, one full of sorrow.

_To think that he might one day become like that--- _

" I doubt you would." Once before, he might have lashed out at any that pitied him; pitied him or his master.... But now all he did was run a finger down that porcelain cheek longingly, an ungloved finger, for he was no longer a butler, _no longer a servant of Phantomhive or of any use at all, it seemed. _He looked up,( since when did he look _up_ at anybody?) at the cold, stony faced man hovering above him, the one with his glasses glinting in the candle light, unflinching, almost as if it was a reflection of his personality--- up at the man who had come to "relieve him from duty", his _replacement_---

Upon staring at that face a laugh erupted from him. No, this was bad. He wasn't _human, _he couldn't lose control of his emotions, it wasn't right.

"Mind telling me what you are doing here again? Your name, at least?"

_Here._ Did that refer to the ruins of Phantomhive Manor? He glanced around, at the rocks slowly crumbling, the rose wallpaper curling over, its edges tinged with ashes that were slowly crumpling, slowly disappearing. Would he disappear like that too? His smile grew wider. It was amusing to think that the demon that had caused so many lives to end, was afraid of death _now_. He couldn't hold them back any longer, the mad peals of laughter ripped out of his throat, the sounds echoing into the obsidian night that enveloped them.

Even when they subsided, the man with the glasses simply stared at him, expressionless and stoic.

" The name is Claude." he seemed to think for a second. " Claude Faustas." His glasses caught the candlelight, the surface glinting with a white, searing light. Claude looked at the man who cradled the body of a boy whose soul had long fled in his arms with pity. The body itself looked even paler after the flight of its soul, like a broken china doll that was waiting to shatter into pieces. He then glanced at the cake on the counter, which with its perfect frosting looked out of place among the ruins. Yes, the ruins of this mansion were not mere stones or bricks cemented together, they were a dream. But the boy who had dreamed of revenge was now an empty shell. Now that Phantomhive Manor was in pieces, that dream was, as well.

" What is yours?" Claude asked the broken demon in front of him. This demon... with his raven colored hair and eyes of crimson was a part of the dream too, a shattered pawn that was no longer needed now that player was gone.

" My name is Sebas----"

" Your _real _name."

The other looked up at him in confusion. The words came out hoarse. " _Real_ name?..."

Claude's face was blank, and the flickering light made frightening shadows dance across the expressionless expanse. " Your _human_ name."

" My name is Sebastian. I'm far too old to remember my human name." yet again, his finger trailed down that cheek, tracing the lines into his memory. " My Young Master gave me that name..."

Claude sighed in pity. No wonder he was sent. This old demon had been corrupted with the thoughts and feelings of a human-- he had begun to _wish_. The younger demon sucked in a breath. They were not allowed to dream, much less _wish_...

He pushed his glasses up, looking at the broken demon. " Sebastian." The other looked at him in surprise.

" Your Young Master is no longer here." he put a finger under Sebastian's shaking chin, his voice dropping almost to a whisper. " You are alone now."

Sebastian stared at him. "Alone?" _In all the years he had been a demon he had never once used that word. Alone. What did being alone mean?_

"That's right." it was as if he was talking to a child now. " Your Young Master is gone. You are alone in this world."

Sebastian's crimson eyes grew wide, slowly processing the information. He began to stagger, his hands clutching tightly to the corpse of the boy who would have turned fourteen today. "... Gone?"

Claude looked on in satisfaction. At last, he beginning to understand.

" Ciel Phantomhive is dead."

Sebastian understood now. " Dead..." _That's right. Didn't he take the boy's soul himself? And it had been delicious... _

He looked out into the darkness of the night. The clouds swirled in the sky, snowflakes dancing in a blinding mass, so dark and heavy that not even the slightest sliver of moonlight was able to shine through. He felt like he was suffocating. Sebastian looked around at the rundown mansion. There was no point in staying here now...

The demon's eyes rested on the cake on the counter. He gave it a long, sad glance before continuing to walk-- continuing to walk into the night, with the hope that the pure white darkness might take him. _Happy Birthday, Bocchan..._

Claude watched. _Where in the world did he intend to go now? _

_" _Where are you going?" he called out.

But he was ignored as Sebastian continued to stumble into the snow-blanketed night, the corpse of Ciel Phantomhive in his arms. Claude stood silently in the shadows of the ruins, watching him with scorn. Even as the wind blew hard against them, Sebastian continued on, murmuring a few words under his breath-- for he was broken already...

The same wind brought Sebastian's words to Claude's ears.

_" I feel... so alone." _

**XXX**

**T___T you know, I feel kind of sad now too.... CIEL!!!!!!!! D::::::**

**Please review, I hope you enjoyed! Alois will be in the next chapter! ;D**


	2. Chapter 2

**I decided to rewrite this, my head's all messed up now--got to sort it out, before I do something dumb again**

**I used bits and pieces from the old chapter though :)**

**XXX**

He wished for a different life.

As he stretched his hand out the skies, he wished that he had a life that wasn't quite so cliche, so uneventful, so solitary.... his pale fingers stretched and stretched, but no matter how far they extended, the horizon was just out of his reach. He wanted to capture it though, the autumn skies, painted in blue and gold. But he didn't want to do it alone; he didn't want to be alone when he encountered the ends of the horizon, the ends of the world that he knew and saw. As the sun caught onto his silver laced cuffs, he realized that he wanted a companion.

Alois lay sprawled on the green fields of the palace, lazily leaning back onto on his folded arms.

_Tch.. This was too troublesome... _

Today he had come out here to evade his new tutor, who was said to be coming in today. Alois hadn't even seen him before, but decided beforehand that the man was unlikable. The boy wrinkled his nose. Anybody who taught for a living couldn't possibly be pleasant.

Brushing his blonde hair to the side, Alois rolled over and wondered what types of pranks he should play if the man was persistent to still be there when he got back to the palace.

That was him in his entirety. Alois Trancy, the dreamer, the prankster, the thinker.... He appeared lazy most of the time, but inside him was a persistent urge to be in control, and he knew it. He just didn't like to expend energy on useless things, didn't like to make a move unless it counted--- and as a player he lacked the proper pawns. His eyes were a stormy blue-gray, and in times of great anxiety, they turned a lucent white. His mood changed as often as his irises, the color shifting depending on how the sunlight hit it.

_Everything was so boring these days...._

As the thought crossed his mind, he knew no one in London would agree. A great fire had recently swept through the city, leaving it in charred ruins, and.... his grandmother on the throne. Being Queen Victoria's twin sister, she had been the perfect replacement when the queen was found dead in her room the night of the fire. There were rumors about who had killed the Queen though... about a certain young Earl who had disappeared without a trace. Alois shook the thoughts from his head. Who really cared about an Earl who had disappeared? The whole situation was nothing but amusing to him. To him, his grandmother's actions were simply a prank.

One that had the capability to fool a nation.

Alois yawned, blinking his ash blue orbs. Picking at the tips of the grass, he wondered how long it would take his new tutor to find him, or at least give up..

His thoughts wandered back to his affectionate old grandmother acting as Queen. If she was Queen now, wasn't he legitimate royalty? He was her grandson... wasn't he? Alois almost laughed at the thought of anybody calling him 'Your Highness' Almost all of the servants in the palace called him by his first name. By using his first name, they had felt closer to him. And the closer they felt---the more willing they were when he asked them to do something. Alois smirked. He was lazy, but not stupid. He knew how to play the odds to his advantage. He brushed his blonde hair back, leaving his hand suspended in the air to block the sun from his face. 'Your Highness'... now that was funny.

He yawned again, his eyes slowly, slowly... closing..

A black shadow suddenly darted across his field of vision. Alois flinched awake, and automatically jumped back.

" -- What the??"

There was a man standing in front of him, clad in black. The man stared down at him, adjusting his glasses.

" Alois Trancy... I found you."

**XXX**

**Alois don't you dare talk about our Young Master like that!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**hello! :D *dies* -_- yes, i'm very sorry that this chapter took such a long time, but I have some bad block of writer D: I HAVE BIO HONORS SUMMER CLASSES UGHH**

** that aside, please enjoy and review! :D **

**XXX**

Was it a dream?

Her eyelids flickering in the low glow of the lamps, her heart raced as she thought of the events that had just passed. It was too good to be true. For once in her life, did things go according to her wishes?She heard the soft shuffle of silk and velvet cashmere next to her, and then felt a gentle hand pressing her forehead. A soft voice, a low and soothing bass broke the silence of her agitated sleep.

" My lady?.."

She opened her forest green eyes, and smiled at her attendee, a handsome young man with white hair and indigo irises.

She reached for his hand, pressing his young and smooth skin to her wrinkled. Too think that it had once bothered her to have any of her maids any certain degree prettier than her.

" My Queen?..."

" James, it's all too unreal. Are things actually going my way?"

James bowed his head -_ he was always so polite-_" Of course they are, My Queen. The angels have blessed you after all." - _always going on about angels too_-

Her pulse quickened at the mention of 'Queen'. It was a title that was so full of power- and she relished it. The past week had been like her entire life's dream condensed into a few short days. But it hadn't began this week, the wheels had begun turning for her the moment her sister died in the Great London Fire. Her sister Victoria, that goody two shoes, had had it coming at her anyways. According to official records, her death was blamed on an Earl Phantomhive who had disappeared the same night.

But forget Victoria. It was her- Queen Anne's turn to shine, after living in the shadow of her twin sister for so long. Because she had no place in court as a twin, Anne had married a Duke who not only did not love her but had died a year after their marriage. Up until this point, Anne had liven a life of dependence, on her sister, on the court, on her late-husband... On top of that her birth had been concealed from the general population. To all of England there was only Victoria.. but no more.

She would throw away her identity as Anne, and everything that had to do with her shamed past. It was just how she was. When something was no longer useful, she would throw it out, have it destroyed. She was Queen Victoria now, and that was all that mattered.

Anne beckoned to James, who shuffled closer, and then bent down on one knee.

" My Queen."

" Understand that I am no longer the desperate Anne, clinging to whoever would offer her some kind of sympathy."

" You were nev-"

She rose from the bed, her silky blond (even at her age she retained her golden waves) hair spreading around her. She cut James off-

" Understand that I no longer need anything or anybody associated to my past."

James was silent, waiting for her to continue.

" I'm referring to a certain Duke and Duchess."

"..."

" Now that I am Queen, my contract with them is long expired. Duke Trancy and his wife were once 'adopted' as my children- it was a beneficial thing; the court demanded that I have children and he wanted to be a Duke. But now, my dear James, I realize the threat that they pose. What if Trancy should want to become regent? Would he poison me to get the throne? They could threaten me with the information that I'm not actually Victoria. It would prove too suspicious, seeing that Victoria had no children. Not to mention they were, once long ago involved in my sister's and her dear Phantomhive's business."

She reached down, tilting James' face up to hers. " I do not need them. The same way I no longer need that horrid silk dress or any other material thing. They were my tools, understand? But now they have run out of usefulness. "

As if understanding, a horrible, slow smile crept onto James' face. Oh she really loved this rare side of him.. because she knew that under his proper, gentlemanly figure was a man would go to any extent to get her what she wanted.

He began chuckling, grasping her hand in his. " So how should we deal with them?"

Anne smiled. " They're on a trip right now. We could simply make it so that they never come back. An accident? The horses suddenly lose control? A bandit?"

"Oh James dear, it's up to you. The Duke and Duchess will never see it coming. Nobody will miss them anyways- "

James looked at her, wondering why she had stopped. " My Queen?.."

" I forgot about one thing..."

She looked at James, with his white hair and purple irises, seemed to glow like an angel in the night. _Her angel._

" Alois."

The name hung in the darkness, and Anne found herself for the first time in the past week unable to figure out what to do. It wasn't that she loved the boy or anything, it was more like he, like her had been and unwanted child, only there when the adults found it necessary to use him. Alois wasn't really related to her or the Duke and Duchess either; she remembered where they had found him... Alois who was so perfect to play the role of her grandson.. drenched in the rain, covered in cuts and mud...

James' voice broke through her thoughts. " What is more important, the boy or the throne?"

Anne looked at him with wide blue eyes.

" Why the throne of course." It was too obvious. Alois most of the time meant next to nothing to her. So why was she sympathizing with him now?...

James nodded. " Then we get rid of the boy."

" But is there a need to kill the child?... it's been around eight years...he's only fifteen."

James smiled at her.

" Simple then. We return the tool to it's original owner."

Anne gasped.

" Return Alois... to _them_?"

**XXX**

**;D HOPE YOU ENJOYED PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! **

**argh.. i hope I'll be able to update soon, i have so much work to do ): **


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm really sorry this took me so long to update, and I realize that I've been kind of jumping around with the plot (ie cutting alois off and starting the next chapter with the queen anne part) I'm still experimenting with how to write so please be patient with me. Thank you so much for reading this fic. :)**

**xxx**

" You've found me?" Alois had fallen back down now perching among the tall grasses, staring at the man with a sort of fascination. " And who are you?" Blankly as ever, the man kneeled on one knee in front of the boy, his tail coat pooling behind him.

" I am Claude Faustus, your butler."

Alois contemplated this, getting up from his perch. He stared down at the man, no longer afraid. _Butler?_ He didn't need one. The boy paced around the kneeling man, sizing him up. Claude, as he was called, was good looking- broad shouldered, but very handsome. Alois stopped in front of Claude, and reached out a curious hand, curling it around Claude's chin and not so gently pulling it up. To his surprise, he found a pair yellow eyes staring back at him, bright yellow ones flecked with gold, like the sun.

A simpering smile forming at his lips, Alois tightly gripped his hand around Claude's chin before letting him go. Crossing his arms across his chest he asked his new butler a question. " So, Claude what can you do for me?"

Claude rose. " Anything you wish."

" Really?" Alois smiled even wider, having decided to put his new plaything to the test. " It's getting late. Carry me back." He hadn't honestly been expecting it, thinking that Claude would be like one of those former butlers of his, who were too concentrated on the wrinkles of their coats, but he found himself being scooped up, carried in the butler's arms like a child.

In silence, Claude began the long walk back with Alois in his arms.

Alois laughed, the soprano like sound tinkling with delight. He threw his arms around Claude's neck, and brought himself closer.

" Can you really do anything for me?"

Claude nodded. " Yes."

"Sapphire into gold? The seas into the plains? Water into wine?"

" Everything and anything you wish."

" Really?" Alois dug his hand into Claude's shoulder. He stared into Claude's eyes, watching the reflections of the late afternoon sun in his glasses.

"Your eyes..."Trailing off, he ran his hand lightly across the butler's shoulders. " Are they naturally like that? Gold. Like the sunlight." Claude bowed his head.

"Yes."

Suddenly, Alois clamped his hand down hard on his shoulders, and Claude stopped walking. " I hate the color of your eyes." the boy hissed.

When Claude looked down questioningly, Alois continued. " That color. Yellow, a light happy color." He moved his hands to Claude's glasses. " A clean color." Removing them, Alois breathed on them, fogging the lenses. " I hate that the most."

Claude resumed his walk without his glasses, " Why? Is your hair not golden as well? Or your eyes? Light yellow and a light blue-grey.. they are enough to make you hate yourself, no?"

Alois began wiping the lenses with his sleeves.

" Of course. So light and clean, like a child." He placed the glasses back onto the bridge of Claude's nose. " I prefer something more stained... a bit dramatic."

The outline of the castle began to appear now, looming over the tops of the dark trees.

" Are you stained?" Claude asked.

Alois giggled childishly, as if he had just been asked whether or not he knew the sky was blue. He pulled himself closer to the butler, whispering. " I am more stained than you think, you know. That's why I hate the light colors of my eyes and hair. They make me seem so much more cleaner that I am. If I were the color of my sufferings, I bet I would be stained a dark, dark deep black."

He continued," I once knew somebody like that though. Not black, but a dark and deep navy blue. His suffering, you could see it in the majestic color of his hair and eyes. It was a long time ago, so I don't remember his name. But I do remember being captivated by him. I was envious."

" Is that so?"

They had reached the front gate of the castle by now. Alois looked up at Claude. " So now you know. Put me down."

Claude gently put Alois down, and he hopped off, a spring in his step. Claude followed the boy into the castle as the gates were opened for them, his eyes trailing over the granite and marble walls, and the grand staircase engraved with gold leaf vines and flowers. As the grand french doors closed behind them, a servant, one that had been posted at the gate stared anxiously towards the doors, as if afraid they would reappear. After a few long moments, satisfied that they were not about to come back out, the servant broke into a run. He needed to report immediately that Alois Trancy had returned.

Queen Victoria was waiting.

**xxx**

An uncomfortable silence fell in the room, and the only sound was of the fire, crackling in the hearth. But Claude, refusing to give up and determined to feed Alois in some shape or way, repicked up the bowl of braised lamb and silently put it back on his cart.

Alois played with his fork, fidgeting in his seat.

He smirked as Claude put a silver cover back over the steaming dish." I don't eat lamb."

Claude ignored him, putting down another dish. Quietly, he presented it to Alois. " Roast duck and raspberry glaze."

" Can't. Doctor once told me I had a bad reaction to that."

The butler lifted an eyebrow. " To duck?"

" To raspberries."

In a flash, Claude presented a new dish.

" French Cheese Souffle."

" I detest cheese."

" Salmon filet."

_rejected._

" Coquilles St. Jaques? Chateaubriand?" Claude presented them with a flourish, waiting for Alois's response.

The boy looked at the two dishes on the table with an amused expression. " I no longer understand what you are saying, so no."

Solemnly, Claude put the dishes back.

Alois laughed. " Is that all? I'm starving, you know."

The butler turned to him, stoic as ever. " There is one more.."

" Oh? Show me."

" Though it was bought outside the castle, from a man selling them on the street."

Alois tapped his foot impatiently under the table. " I don't mind. Show me!"

Claude turned to his cart, and uncovered a silver lid to a little white bag. He placed it on a plate and brought it over to Alois. The boy looked at it in wonder.

" Bread? Is that all?" Cautiously taking a bite, Alois was surprised when a spicy flavor flooded into his mouth. " Curry!" He laughed, continuing to take a few bites, some curry sauce dripping into the dish below.

After he finished, Alois wiped his mouth and got up for Claude to clear the table. As the butler collected the plates, Alois yawned and leaned against the wall, watching him. "Well at least you're good for something." he shrugged. " Even if it was just buying food from a vendor." He yawned again.

Seeing that Claude had finished cleaning up, Alois stretched tiredly. " I feel like taking a bath." When Claude made no move, Alois stood up. " You're really of no use are you? Are you not going to help me?"

But the butler only looked at him. " That is because you don't need me yet."

Alois stormed angrily over to Claude. " What?"

" When you do need me though..." he bent down and put a cupped his hand around the boy's face. " Call me. Wherever I am, I will come to you."

Alois looked at the hand in outrage. He slapped it aside. " Don't touch me." Walking past Claude, he made for the door.

" You useless butler. I can take my own bath anyways."

**xxx**

Alois walked down the marble halls, shivering in the late night chill. That Claude.. he didn't need him. He'll never need him. The boy angrily rushed towards the restroom- _Claude can leave here if he's not about to be of any use. He could expect to pack his bags and leave in the morning- Claude can-_

_rustle_

The boy stopped in front of the restroom door at the sound- at the sound of somebody so obviously following him. Alois paused, smirking to himself. So, the useless butler had followed him after all? Without turning around, Alois asked a question,

" Claude, is that you? Go away. Just to let you know, you are to leave as soon as possible."

When he got no reply, Alois spun around in fury- " Answer me, alrea-" but he was cut off by a hand with a handkerchief clamping over his mouth, his eyes widening as he realized that it wasn't Claude after all.

Alois crumpled to the floor, drugs seeping into his system.

And as his eyes dimmed, he only remembered a lone spider scrambling away as his hand thudded to the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

*** is extremely disappointed at my writing...* im finding it harder and harder to write for some reason- the more chapters it seems, the more the writing gets worse D: help me? please review/pm me with tips if u can *-***

**just watched episode seven... i know that i really disliked alois and all (in the anime) but this episode just made me feel bad for him. well, sorta. T_T i believe alois is cute, deep deep down. so heres a story to you alois. **

**xxx**

_There's something about him, mama.- Ciel Phantomhive- _

_blonde. blonde hair- demon- ciel- mama, he has blonde hair!- ciel- alois- _

What are these voices?

_this is not my child- demon- deal- dead- HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME- ciel- gone- NOT MY CHILD- _

Why was he hearing these voices? Why?

_shinigami- demon- away- TAKE HIM AWAY- ciel- alois- alois- deal-_

Stop the voices.

_mama?- _

**STOP!**

Alois' eyes snapped open into the darkness, cold sweat running down the side of his face. The boy panted, his heart racing in his chest.

Where was he? Alois slowly got up, finding himself on a bed. Hands exploring the bed, he found that one of his hands had been cuffed with a chain attached to the bed frame, he frowned when he tested the chain and found that he could only get about a foot away from the bed. Holding the thick chain between his hands he pulled to test its strength - _CLANG!_ Damn.. this was all too nostalgic- a nervous quiver fluttered in his stomach; it was almost like he was back at that place- like he was back-

" Welcome home." a candle flared in the darkness, like a tiny sun in his black and blind world. Alois turned slowly towards the source of light, a feeling of dread of crawling down his spine. He gasped when he saw that familiar smiling face, plump and smug, the one that often haunted his nightmares.

" You." the breath was caught in his lungs in a mixture of fear and loathing. The man smiled even wider at him, his mouth opening to show two rows of crooked teeth. He began to walk towards Alois, causing the boy to shrink against the bed.

_Tell me this isn't happening, tell me I'm not back-_

" back..." the word came out as a whisper, trembling as the man let a hand slip down down Alois's face. He grinned madly, looking for all the world like a little boy who had gotten a new toy.

" Yes, Alois. You are back.." the hand caressed the boy's trembling face. " For good."

Alois's eyes widened, his eyes turning a livid, white. " for good?"

The man chuckled. " Of course! Thank goodness that the queen no longer had use for you. And those wretched fake parents of yours are gone too. Don't let them fool you that they were really your parents for a minute." He let his hand slid down to slowly unbutton a button on the boy's shirt..." It's all for the better, since I was missing my favorite pet."

Alois almost stopped breathing, with the man's hands on the inside of his shirt. " Fake..." he looked at him. " Fake.. fake..."

The man looked irritably, and slapped him across the face. " Yes. Alois. fake. Aren't you glad to have your master back? Besides, do you have any other point in life? After your mother abandoned you and all..."

_My mother abandoned me? ... why did he not remember._

Greedily, the man pressed himself against Alois. " It doesn't matter, now." After extracting his shirt, the man began to work on his trousers.

Alois looked at him with wide eyes. " fake... abandoned..." he whispered.

The man laughed mirthlessly. " Yes. Yes.. Alois I have you now..." _This boy... he wanted him badly..._

" fake..." Alois suddenly pushed against the man, struggling ," FAKE!"

" What are you doing!" when Alois pushed against him he reached out with a punch, but the boy still reacted violently, screaming. " FAKE, FAKE, FAKE!"

Alois's vision flickered when the punch landed, and curled up as the man continued to beat him. _fake.. who am I?.. why don't I remember.. _

_When you do need me though... call me. Wherever I am, I will come to you._

He didn't know why these words came to his mind, but they did. So, without hesitation, Alois screamed his name aloud, loud enough to surprise the man on top of him.

" CLAUDE! CLAUDE! CLAUDE!"

silence. Alois's hope wavered for a bit.

The man frowned at him, his crooked teeth bared menacingly. " Why you..." he reached his hands out at an attempt to choke the boy when the window panes shattered into thousands of glittering glass shards , the white curtains blowing violently inside by a gust of wind. And there, Alois made out the silhouette of a man, tall and dressed in black, his glasses gleaming in the candle light.

And for the first time since they met, Claude smiled at him. '

" Yes. Your highness."

* * *

**goodnight! hope you all enjoyed, sorry I couldn't make it longer, i must sleep. please review~ thank you. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**school started. :( and being a freshman sucks so far! please enjoy this chapter! **

**episode 9 just broke my heart. **

**xxx**

**" Is it better to live as a monster or to die as a good man?"**

**- Teddy Daniels/Andrew Landis _(Shutter Island)_**

The nausea was overpowering.

The stench was consuming, rising up in warm clouds, being breathed _down, down, down_ his throat... Alois found his eyelids flickering shut, the oblivion of sleep blinking entracingly before his eyes.

_Sleep._ Yes, he wanted that. _Rest._ Too much had happened. He was confused. He was tired. _Escape._

...

No. Don't escape.

The boy found his thoughts again, something stopping him from resting. Why? Why couldn't it all just stop here? But there was a question lingering in his mind. Question_s_. Buzzing like a thousand locusts in his head, demanding to be quelled with an answer. He had to discover the answer... or he will never rest. Eyes wearily peeling open, Alois looked into the darkness again in his half asleep stupor. He must keep awake. The boy crawled forward into the darkness slowly, pausing a few moments to let the nausea past. He got a few meters before collapsing, the palms of his hands throbbing. The darkness had returned, and he could see nothing, nothing at all. He wanted to see.

So without a light to guide him through the darkness, Alois collapsed, and waited.

What did he wait for?

Perhaps for that butler. Alois' eyes blinked laboriously. No.

He waited for the answers to his questions.

The boy struggled, pain shooting up his left arm as he propped his head on it, surprised when his cheek came in contact with a warm, wet liquid. _Blood._ He quickly pulled it away, and in the darkness felt it trickle, slowly drip, drip, dripping onto the ground.

And as he watched it drip, the boy began to notice the blood lighten in the darkness. Glow, almost. The color of the blood began to change, the blood rippling into a bright golden color. It dripped onto the ground, forming a small pool of gold, shining in the darkness. Alois watched it in horror, in fascination, in _disgust_. It was beautiful.

_It was horrible. _

_It was a lie._

_It was, _Alois watched the golden substance drip from his fingers, the yellow shine reflecting in the blue grey of his eyes.._ It was, it was_- he whispered it under his breath, " fake."

As the words came out, the golden pool on the ground began to immediately expand in all directions, filling the darkness, and Alois, who had been submerged in the blind world for so long, found himself exposed, curled on the ground. The room lit with a serene light, trees slowly rising from the ground, veins of roots, wildly tumbling over each other, sunlight filtering through the leaves, shining at Alois.

The boy stood up slowly, watching as two trees grew together, entwining each other's branches, one a dark midnight blue, the other a bright, golden yellow, like the blood that had once dripped from his finger tips. The created an arc together, a cavity beyond the two that contained the only darkness he could see.

And the warmth was like a soothing balm to his soul, it tugged at his weary self, urging him to stay.

But he couldn't.

Not here.

" CLAUDE!" Alois screamed into the peaceful silence. He didn't want it this way. He hated this.

" CLAUDE, CLAUDE!"

He needed answers. Not this golden paradise.

" I don't want this." he said calmly. Alois paused, hoping that Claude would reply.

There was a second of silence, before a voice sounded softly in his head.

_I know. _

Alois looked around confusedly. " Then why show me what I do not want?" Instinctevly, Alois began to walk towards the two trees, reaching his hands out to grad hold of them. Claude was waiting in the darkness beyond them- he had to be. The boy hesitated for a second, before lifting one leg into the cavity between the trees.

_To show you what you will have to give up. _

Alois found himself immersed in darkness again, the only light pouring in from the cavity behind his back.

_Are you ready to say goodbye?_

He sneered into the darkness, not bothering to turn around. " I won't miss it."

_Very well._

Alois felt the trees move behind him, the trunks entwining together to close the open space. The boy kept his back turned the entire time, but he felt himself panic a bit as the very last of the light slowly disappeared, leaving him in the black oblivion once again. Shaking it off, Alois began to walk forwards.

" Your highness."

At the sound of Claude's voice a few paces in front of him, Alois looked up. But there was still nothing there. He frowned, pausing. " Claude?.." It was almost a whisper, but it seemed to slip from his lips and rebound in the darkness.

" Keep on walking."

Alois did as he was told, cautiously resuming putting one foot in front of the other. He heard Claude sigh, a hiss almost.

" Yes, keep walking the path you are walking now. Away from the light, to the dark answers you seek-"

Alois interrupted him, annoyance evident in his voice. " Where are you anyways?" The boy fumed, impatient with the game the butler was playing. " Show yourself! And tell me how you can help me find the answers."

The reply he got rebounded in his mind.

_Are you sure you won't miss the sunlit, warm and solid grounds of your 'past'? _

Alois frowned- how many times did he have to tell that butle- but his thoughts were interrupted by the sight of something silver and_ fragile_ appearing beneath the soles of his feet. It glistened in the dark, extending as for as he could see, and around him as well, as if an intricate pattern of some type of web...

_Because, from here on, you will be treading on very fine thread._

The boy gasped, attempting to move back. As he did, he felt a rip in the thread. Eyes wide, Alois felt one, two feet break free of the web; and in a horror filled silence, felt as he dropped into the darkness.

Alois came to a dizzying stop, finding that he had landed in a checkered room, black and white tiles rippling across the floor and walls. Strewn across the ground lay white feathers, limp and dirty, as if somebody had already been inside of the room before.

A pang shot through his left arm again, and Alois gripped it tightly. Why wouldn't the damn butler stop playing games?

" When one has rejected faith, it if impossible for him to pass through gates of heaven. Did you know that?" Alois flinched. It was Claude's voice, but there was something so familiar about it..

_Darkness..._

Alois groaned, gripping his arm harder. Why wouldn't the voices go away?

_dark..help.. help...me.._

He watched Claude appear in front of him, materializing through the pattern of black and white on the tile walls." Your answer?.."

_... why?... TAKE ME..._

_feathers..._Alois glanced around- _like the ones in this room.._

_ciel..._

".. Alois? You do know this do you not?"

When the butler reached a hand out to him, Alois slapped it away. He stood attempted to stand straighter, and looked Claude in the eyes, his expression scornful.

" Would somebody who believes in God summon you?"

Claude sucked in a breath, and pulled away,astonished. " Perfect." The butler lowered himself, arm crossing over his chest respectfully.

" Alois Trancy, do you wish to make a contract?"

Alois looked down on Claude. "Yes."

Claude gestured for Alois's left hand, and kissed the top of it.

" You will serve me until the end, when I am content with the answers to my questions."

" Questions?" the butler murmured, his cold whisper ghosting across the top of the boy's hand. " Are sure they are only that?"

" Who are you? Alois Trancy..." he continued, slowly turning over to Alois's palm. " Have you forgotten your past? Will you make a pact with a demon to remember it?"

Alois flinched as Claude bit into the palm of his hand, a crimson bubble pooling delicately in his palm. Claude looked over it, before tracing a pattern in the blood. The pattern he traced illuminated blue: a star surrounded by a ring of thorns.

_Tch..._

At the sight of the symbol, Claude seemed to make a disapproving sound, but continued smoothly as he licked the blood away.

" So.." The demon resumed his kneeling position, arms crossed over his chest and his head bowed respectfully. " Beginning today, you are my master. And I am your servant until you remember your memories."

" I will serve you and only you till the very end. For you I will turn sapphire into gold, the seas into plains, and water into wine. For you marble will crumble into dust, and heroes into cowards." slowly, Claude began to raise his head, " I will serve and devour you till the very ends of this world."

Satisfied, Claude smiled, a golden fleur de lis encircled by thorns burning brightly in his left eye.

" Your highness."

**xxx**

Life had been good for Queen Victoria. Or rather, Anne. She had thought she had left that far behind her, in the depths of days that she had tried to convince herself did not matter. Yet, _Queen Anne_ was clearly printed on the envelope that had been delivered to her chamber that morning. It had cordially invited her to tea with a Duke Trancy, tomorrow at noon.

She crumpled the envelope between her hands. Her past had returned to haunt her.

And that brat was still alive.

* * *

**please review :) thank you so much for reading!**


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